1. Field of Invention
This invention relates generally to clips for holding components together, and specifically to a clip for rigidly securing a conduit to a fin or to a solar-ray absorber to provide for heat exchange.
2. Prior Art
Solar panels are devised for absorbing ultra-violet and infra-red rays from the sun. They usually provide a solar heat absorber arranged in intimate heat exchange relation with a conduit containing a heat exchange fluid. Instead of a large panel, the absorber may be a small element denominated as a fin. Merely to place the conduit upon the absorber will accomplish some heat exchange between a fluid in the conduit and the absorber, at the points of contact. It is recognized however that a large panel can absorb more heat that can be exchanged with a conduit by mere limited contact. The practice has grown to make a grid of conduits intercommunicating with each other and containing a fluid heat exchange medium. The grid of conduits mates with a corresponding series of channels in an absorber or fin. The grid is placed in the channels in the absorber so that heat exchange may take place between the elevated temperature achieved by the absorber and the grid of tubes, with the heat exchange fluid in the tubes.
In order to provide the most intimate and extensive interface contact between the conduit which is usually tubular and the absorber, solder is sometimes deposited in the channels to affix the conduits to the absorber. This procedure is not very satisfactory because even the lowest melting point solder alloys require considerable heat to melt them in order to attach the conduit to the absorber. The application of heat deforms the absorber and creates numerous ripples which reduces the satisfactory efficiency of the absorber in elevating the temperature of the fluid in the conduit. This happens because the absorber becomes rippled and the continuous intimate contact of the conduit with the channels in the absorber is reduced by reason of the rippling.
To avoid the problems arising from the use of heat to solder the tubes to the absorber, various kinds of adhesive or cements have been used to create an extensive interface between the absorber and the conduits. Unfortunately, most of the adhesives and cements have a low coefficient of thermal conduction so that they in effect, to a degree, insulate the absorber from the tubes and low efficiency heat exchange is the result. In an effort to overcome this problem, there have been adhesives to which a metal powder has been added and dispersed in order to achieve a higher coefficient of thermal conduction, but this does little to improve over all efficiency.